The National Police discovered three-story boat in Alicante where they hid immigrants arrived illegally by boat and charged up to 600 euros per month for a room. During the operation, five men and a woman were detained – all of Algerian nationality – who hosted their compatriots and other people from Morocco in inhumane conditions: they slept on the ground even on the balcony.
As a result of the agents’ investigation, they dismantled these three houses in the northern area of the city where they operated independently to temporarily hide these people who had recently arrived on the Spanish coast in boats who docked in unauthorized places, as reported by the general staff in a press release.
Some of the immigrants detected during the operation
During the investigation, these homes were inspected and found to be in poor condition and showing signs of renovations needed to be habitable. Some lacked thermal insulation, a serious problem during high summer temperatures. They had three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen, but they were occupied by many beds, mattress inside groundas well as scattered shoes, suitcases and clothes.
Migrants only they had RIGHT has sleep in these homes, without access to private rooms or exclusive bathrooms. On one of the floors, a migrant was even found sleeping on the floor of a balconycovered with blankets.
Migrants paid between 10 and 20 euros per night to stay in these homes. In some cases, the monthly rent for a bed reached between 300 and 600 euros. At the time of the police intervention, 17 people were occupying these accommodations. The National Police learned that this activity was the only source of income for several detainees.
The people arrested are between 22 and 57 years old, and only one was legally in Spain, while two others had a criminal record for other crimes. They are being investigated as suspected perpetrators of a crime of promoting At illegal immigration.
A National Police officer inspects one of the three patera apartments in Alicante
The actions have been brought to the attention of the Alicante Court of Instruction, which will carry out the corresponding procedures based on the facts examined.
The National Police recalled that article 318 bis.2 of the Penal Code punishes those who help foreigners in an irregular situation so that they can stay illegally in Spain, provided that they do so with for profit purposes. This includes, for example, poor rental conditions or fees for unsafe living spaces.
The law aims to protect migrants who, due to lack of protection, are sometimes forced to accept accommodation in poor conditions. People who take advantage of this situation can face relatively high penalties of prison And finesas these actions are considered very serious and aim to prevent the most vulnerable from being exploited.
